Sudden showers lower maximum temp; expect light rain in Chennai for 2 more days

CHENNAI: Normal life was affected, including peak-hour traffic, on Wednesday after sudden rains pounded parts of the city. Water-logging also persisted for a few hours but by noon, the situation had returned to normalcy. To prevent electrocution, Tangedco also snapped the power supply in a few areas.

Several parts of Central Chennai had been reeling under intense summer heat, and the downpour brought down the maximum temperature significantly.

Several areas in Parry’s, Nungambakkam, Saligramam, Nerkundram, Valasaravakkam and RA Puram received heavy rain between 50.1 mm and 100 mm. Areas in Manali, Tondiarpet, Basin Bridge, Saidapet, Vadapalani, Adyar, Narayanapuram lake and Pallikaranai received copious rains.

Tamil Nadu, on the whole, also recorded good rains, with 50 mm each in Salem and Krishnagiri. Meanwhile, the regional meteorological centre (RMC) on Wednesday said that light rain was likely in Chennai on Thursday and Friday.

Thunderstorm and lightning with moderate rain is very likely at a few places over Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Perambalur, Krishnagiri, Tiruchy, Tiruvarur, Nilgiris and Theni districts of TN, Puducherry and Karaikal area. “In Chennai, the sky will be cloudy on Thursday,” said P Senthamarai Kannan, director, area cyclone warning centre, RMC. “Due to the storm, several areas in districts such as Tiruvallur, Chennai, Chengalpattu and Kancheepuram received moderate to heavy rain.”

Light thunderstorm and lightning with light to moderate rain is very likely at one or two places over Tiruvallur, Ranipet, Karur, Perambalur, Ariyalur, Pudukkottai, Thanjavur, Tenkasi, Ramanathapuram, Coimbatore, Tirupur and Ramanathapuram, said a statement issued by RMC. Popular weather blogger and Tamil Nadu weatherman wrote on X, “The strange coincidence is how nature remembers the date. Not often Chennai gets rains in April. A 100 mm cloudburst was recorded in Chennai on April 15, 2015. A rare thunderstorm that hit Chennai 10 years ago hit a century again.”

Sudden summer showers accompanied by strong winds on Wednesday morning brought much-needed relief from the sweltering heat, but also led to power outages in some parts of Chennai and its suburbs.

Many residents took to social media to report power cuts following the unexpected downpour. Localities including Royapuram, Perambur, Anna Nagar, West Mambalam, Valasaravakkam, Manapakkam, Ambattur, Minjur, Avadi, and Pattabiram experienced outages lasting up to 2-3 hours.

S Narender, a resident of Grace Garden in Royapuram, fumed: “Power supply was disrupted for nearly five hours after the rains began. Is this how TNPDCL maintains its distribution network?”

In Valasaravakkam, Thamizh, a resident of Venkatesa Perumal Nagar, said his area remained without power for several hours. “Repeated calls to electricity board officials, including the assistant engineer, went unanswered,” he posted on X.

Officials from the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (TNPDCL) attributed the outages to the tripping of over 20 feeders after tree branches fell onto overhead cables during the gusty winds. “We didn’t anticipate such heavy winds. However, our field staff responded swiftly and restored power in most areas as soon as the rain stopped. Some delays occurred in localities where insulators had to be replaced due to flashovers,” an official said.

Earlier in the day, Nungambakkam recorded a maximum of 34.4°C and a minimum of 29.2°C. Meenambakkam recorded a maximum of 36°C and a minimum of 28.2°C on Wednesday. Dry weather prevailed in coastal regions like Karaikal, the weather office said.

Downpour in city delays flight services

More than 20 flight services were affected following a sudden spell of rain on Wednesday. The five flights that were supposed to land in Chennai were made to circle the air for a while till the situation came back to normal.

The Indigo Airlines flight from Hyderabad, Guwahati, and Bengaluru were made to wait in the air for a long time. An Air India flight from Mumbai was making rounds in the air, and later diverted to Bengaluru.

Flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Kochi, Coimbatore, and Doha, which were supposed to depart from Chennai, were delayed.